Project Location: Town of Fairfield in Franklin County on VT Route 36 over Fairfield River. The bridge is located approximately 7.7 miles west of the junction with VT Route 108.  The United States Post Office as well as a gas station/market are located in the southwest quadrant of the project. The Fairfield Town garage and fire department are located 0.2 miles to the east on VT Route 36.

The Fairfield Bridge 6 project includes a deck replacement on the existing single span rolled beam bridge. The existing structure is 89 feet long and has a rail-to-rail width of 28-feet. The structure currently has a deck rating of 5 (fair), a superstructure rating of 6 (satisfactory), and a substructure rating of 6 (satisfactory). This bridge was constructed in 1955.  The deck is approaching poor condition. There is extensive saturation throughout with map cracking, light scaling, scattered delaminations, and scattered small spalls along the beam flanges. Additionally, a 1-foot x 2-foot full depth hole has developed.

VTrans evaluated alternatives for the rehabilitation of the bridge in an engineering study completed in December 2020. This study assessed the proposed design criteria for the structure, right-of-way, rare/threatened/endangered species impacts, hazardous site impacts, and cultural impacts. Several alternatives were considered, including: no action, deck rehabilitation, deck replacement with conventional or Accelerated Bridge Construction techniques, and superstructure replacement.  Maintenance of traffic options considered included an offsite detour, phased construction, or a temporary bridge.

Given the age of the structure, site constraints and current conditions, the engineering study recommended a deck replacement with traffic maintained on an offsite detour for 28 days using Accelerated Bridge Construction Techniques.  The deck will be replaced with precast partial depth deck panels with a cast-in-place overlay. Shear studs will be welded to the existing beams for a composite deck. The deck will include new joints at the begin and end bridge to reduce the amount of maintenance necessary for this structure in the future. A deck replacement will also include new bridge railing and pavement and may require a new curtainwall.

It is anticipated that the new deck will be constructed during the summer of 2024.